Forgotten Banishment
by Black-Order-Acrobats
Summary: After the battle for the Ark, things are going swimmingly for the Black Order. Until London is attacked by a hoard of akuma and Allen is blamed for it, that is. How will Allen and his friends respond to his fate?
1. Chapter 1

**We do not in any way own -Man or any of the characters.**

**This fanfiction is written by two people, through a RP. Because of this, bits might not flow as well, but we tried our best to edit the transitions. ****Hope you enjoy it~ Please don't hesitate to comment/ review. We need your feedback, and it will only help us. Grammar errors, questions... anything!**

***** Moyashi means beansprout. We decided to use the japanese term because most fanfics/doujinshis/some translations of the manga the term.**

**I'm pretty sure thats all i need to say! Thank you for reading! **

**~Ink (Allen/Link/Johnny/bits of Rouvelier)**

Today the Order was silent. The latest battle had cost them many lives, both finders and exorcists alike. Unfortunately, many innocent civilians had gotten caught up among the fighting, and akuma were being born left and right from the deep, piercing sorrow the victims' absence had left. The Order had tried to send out teams to explain the situation to the families, to tell them not to wish their loved ones back. But there simply weren't enough people to get the job done. There were still too many injured, comatose in the hospital, or grieving for their lost comrades.

It had been two days since Tyki and Rhode had led an attack on the bustling streets of London, stirring up the Order as exorcists were sent as quickly as possible to stop the killing spree. Akuma clogged the streets like a virus, leaving the exorcists barely enough room to breathe. The fighting was soon escalated out of control; buildings collapsed one after another as the struggle continued.

The two Noah had eventually called a full retreat, satisfied with the damage they'd caused, and the remains of the akuma army trailed along after their ashen-skinned leaders, disappearing through one of Rhode's doors.

Kanda remembered every detail. The battlefield had been like a madhouse, with shouts and cries coming from every direction. An occasional rusty shriek would echo over the chorus of weapons clanging, signaling the defeat of another akuma. When one disintegrated, it was immediately replaced with two more.

Every single one of the akuma had been at least level two or higher, prolonging the battle for far longer than it should have lasted. While the Earl's monstrous creations never seemed to tire, the Order's finders quickly exhausted themselves, leaving the battle-weary exorcists to fend off the rest of the distorted soldiers.

Kanda felt an ache in his side where the claw of an akuma had caught him, though the pain made no appearance in his face. He was expertly silent, a stoic and calm bystander, nothing more. He watched the grieving members of the Order from the upper level of the room, leaning forward against the railing of the balcony. The coffins in the room seemed to go on forever, scattered like the precious flushed petals of the lotus blossom in his room.

He was down to nine petals now, with another just beginning to wilt. The previous battle had taken a lot out of him, and he still wasn't technically allowed to leave the hospital wing. But since when did he care? He had merely given a sarcastic snort and slipped out when the Head Nurse had her back turned to tend to the Moyashi.

Kanda snorted. That beansprout was too soft. He'd taken a direct hit from an akuma to save some cowering civilians that had foolishly gotten in the way of the fight. Exorcist or not, Allen was still playing the reckless hero.

_He has to learn that there will always have to be sacrifices. Idiotic moves like that will earn him an early grave._

The Order couldn't spare any more exorcists as it was. As much as Kanda disliked the young exorcist, he knew he was necessary if the Order planned on winning this war.

They'd lost too many as it was.

As Allen stirred in his sleep, a sharp pain in his chest caused him to slowly regain consciousness. Half awake, he tried moving his arm, but a thick layer of bandages, followed by a wave of pain convinced him otherwise. Allen slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in the Order's brightly lit hospital wing.

_I was..._ But he couldn't think, another wave of pain shot through his body, his arm felt as if it were on fire. He didn't remember crying out, or the Head Nurse giving him a dose of anesthesia; he just remembered the pain, and sudden blackness.

The room silenced as Rouvelier marched into the wing, surrounded by an assembly of Crows. The Inspector and his subordinates didn't fit into their surroundings, untouched, unbroken, compared to the room full of exorcists that had fought for the Order only hours before. Rouvelier, his expression grim and demanding, motioned towards the bed containing Allen Walker. A handful of the cloaked figures surrounded the bed.

Lenalee burst through the doors after him, her face a blotchy red, eyes glistening. "What are you doing?" she cried out. "He helped us! _He's on our side!_" She balled her fists angrily, on the edge of bursting in tears.

"What is going on here?" The Head Nurse scurried into the wing, turning a dark shade of red. "There are patients that need rest, now if you woul-"

Rouvelier looked towards the Nurse, a bemused smirk on his face. "Would take Miss Lee to one of the empty rooms? The battle has certainly put a lot of stress on her, or she would never act this way." He glared in Lenalee's direction. "We have a lot of business to attend to, and she needn't partake in our exchange with the Noah."

The Head Nurse eyed Rouvelier as if to confirm his request before turning to Lenalee and giving her a gentle yet firm look. "Come now, Miss Lee, we can't have you disturbing Mister Walker...he needs his rest," she murmured, showing a rare soft and gentle side compared to her normal raging attitude. She put herself between Lenalee and Rouvelier, grasping the younger girl's shoulders firmly and leading her from the room despite her struggles and protests.

"Miss Lee, Walker needs you to be strong," she murmured, trying to calm Lenalee from her flustered outbursts as she led her down several dim hallways to a quieter wing of the Order, opening a door into an empty bedroom.

Lenalee finally quieted, taking in a few deep breaths as she stepped reluctantly into the room. She dried her cheeks on her jacket sleeve, sitting down on the bed.

Matron slowly reached out to lay a hand on Lenalee's head, knowing that despite Lenalee's strong outer shell and the fact that she'd fought in many battles, she was still just a young girl with fragile inner workings. "Do try and get some rest, Miss Lee," she told her. "Rouvelier may be strict, but I'm sure he and his men won't harm Mister Walker. He's still one of us," she said, backing away slowly and bowing her head to Lenalee in respect before turning on her heel and walking briskly back to the hospital wing to make sure Rouvelier stayed in line.

Rouvelier smiled sickeningly as a final clicking of chains reached his ears. Allen Walker was now firmly strapped to his hospital cot, in order to prevent any foolish ideas he might have of running when he awakened. His Innocence arm had been sealed tightly by the Crows that followed him, insuring that the boy couldn't invoke. "This boy must be kept under constant watch and guard," he announced to his men. "Mister Howard Link. Once again, I give you the duty of keeping watch over Allen Walker and reporting suspicious behavior of any kind directly to me. Allen Walker is not to depart on any missions without your partnership, and he is most certainly prohibited from being alone with any of his immediate friends. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Acknowledged, Inspector Rouvelier." Link nodded, staring at the ground, his face devoid of any emotion. "Although I don't see why it's necessary to chain a sleeping boy." He lifted his head to stare the Inspector directly in the eyes.

Rouvelier smirked, "After all this time you still see this," he motioned to Allen as if he were something dead, "as a human being, a child at that." Inspector Rouvelier rose, walking towards the door "I would treat...Walker, differently if I were you. As human as he looks, his 'family' just murdered half of the order."

The Head Nurse returned to a near empty Hospital wing, Howard Link was resting in a wooden chair next to her white-haired patient. Letting out a sigh of relief, she walked over Inspector Link and shook his shoulder gently. "I doubt Inspector Rouvelier would be happy to know you were sleeping on the job. Now, if you would please help me unchain my patient," she grumbled. Rouvelier had crossed the line too many times.

"N-no, he wouldn't," Link muttered back, slowly standing up. "I was told to unchain him only for-" He was stopped mid-sentence by the enraged face of the head nurse and he handed her the keys.

"Thank you," the nurse replied sharply, quickly unchaining Allen and administering to his wounds._ Even if he had the will to harm someone, he can barely move his arm_, she thought to herself, exasperated at the stupidity of Rouvelier. "Now, you're here to make sure the boy doesn't run away. I'm here to make sure his wounds heal properly, I'm sure we can do both without these chains." She eyed Link sharply to quiet any protests he had, and turned her attention back to Allen's injuries.

It felt like hours since the battle started. Lavi was exhausted, breathing heavily and leaning on the staff of his hammer. He'd slipped discreetly into one of the buildings that was left standing in an attempt to catch his breath. His single green eye was dull and drooping as he tired, and he raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. He barely had time to get back to his feet as a wall of the building was blown in, sending rubble flying. He caught a glimpse of white hair through the thick cloud of dust, and he heard Allen's cry of pain as an akuma fell upon him. He brandished his hammer with a cry as the level three that knocked the building to pieces came at him with claws extended toward his face.

"Ungh!" Lavi let out a pained grunt as he hit the floor hard. He blinked groggily and rubbed over his face with a wide yawn, sitting up and turned his eye upon his bed, which he'd just merrily rolled off of in his dream struggle with the akuma. A grimace touched his face from a touch of pain in his arm. He tilted his head and lowered his hand to the tender area, rolling up his long black sleeve and blinking in surprise at the white bandages covering the skin.

_Yes, that's right. From the figh-shit!_

He stumbled and tripped to his feet, bursting out of his room and surprising a passing finder, who yelled in shock and fell over. He shouted an apology over his shoulder, trotting down several dimly lit hallways and pausing at the open door to the hospital wing, peeking his head in and raising his brows as he caught sight of Link. So that meddling Inspector had reared his ugly head once more. He let out a long sigh, the air rattling from his lungs from all the smoke and dust he'd breathed in during the battle. He caught sight of Allen's snowy white hair, and eased into the room as a silent shadow, watching as the Matron tended to the Moyashi's wounds.

Yikes. That looked painful.

_But he's alive._

He winced at the sight of Allen's bloodied arm, hoping it would heal properly. Then he bit his lip as he realized he'd rushed down here so fast he'd forgotten to slip on his headband, cursing to himself and looking up in shock as the Head Nurse gasped in surprise and whacked him in the face with her clipboard.

"What the fu-"

"Insolent Bookman! Make some noise when you move!" Matron scolded him.

Lavi mumbled a "yes," rubbing at his aching cheek and working his jaw a bit with a wince. "Devil lady," he muttered, earning another whap to the back of the head.

"H-Hey Lavi!" Allen said weakly. It had barely been 10 minutes since he had awoken, only to find himself yet again a suspect of the battle. His grin was more of a grimace than a smile, wincing as Matron replaced the bandage on his chest. "Guess I'm a prisoner again... Link's stuck here watching me until I convince them I'm not a Noah..." he said in as carefree a voice as he could.

The Head Nurse grumbled something under her breath, pushing Link out of the way as she gathered together some medical supplies. "I have to attend to the other patients... Don't make any trouble." She glared at Lavi and Link as she left.

Lavi crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his tongue at the Head Nurse as she turned her back to him, only to quickly pull an innocent face as she shot him another glare. He whistled in a carefree manner until she left, immediately dancing over to Allen's side and pulling a chair around, straddling it and resting his chin on the back of it. "I hope there's a dent in her clipboard," he said cheerily, leaning on the chair so that it tipped forward on two legs precariously. "Not be be hypocritical, seeing as I literally rolled out of bed two minutes ago, but it's about time you woke up!" he exclaimed with one of his signature grins.

The mood in the room seemed to brighten with Lavi's constantly cheery nature, and he rocked back and forth on the chair with soft creaking noise as the weight was shifted continuously between the four wooden legs.

Allen scratched his head with his free hand, staring after the nurse with a puzzled expression on his face. "What's gotten into her? She seems really uptight today..."

Inspector Link shifted uncomfortably, remembering the last few hours. "Lots of things have happened since the battle..." He trailed off, unsure how to finish his sentence.

"I guessed as much... I mean, look what happened to me!" Allen laughed, but there was a certain hollowness to the normally carefree sound. He sat up in the bed, letting out a small gasp as he accidentally put weight on his injured arm.

Link looked towards Allen in concern, watching as the young exorcist struggled to put on a brave face. He looked towards Lavi; the Bookman was obviously concerned about his friend too. The room kept an awkward silence, both of them watching Allen as he tried to smile and laugh his way through the conversation. Then the white-haired exorcist winced, placing both of his hands on his stomach.

"What's the matter?" Link asked quickly, getting ready to call Matron back into the room.

Lavi cocked his head at Allen curiously as he saw him wince, about to ask what was the matter but stopping with his mouth hanging open.

"When's the last time I ate..." Allen groaned, "I'm starving..."

A snort of amusement rose from the Bookman apprentice's throat, and he hopped up out of the chair, making it fall over with a loud clatter. "Two days since the battle, two days of not eating, six meals missed, not including snacks in-between," he announced cheerily. "Up, up!" he cried, leaning over to curl an arm carefully underneath Allen's to give him support to stand. "Off to Jerry-san and his cooking!" he announced, sharing Allen's hunger, though perhaps not as desperately. "I can't carry a mountain of food back for you in one go, it'd bury me alive," he said, giving Allen a bright grin and helping him from the room.

Allen grinned back, giving a little chuckle as they left Link behind in bewilderment. "Guess we have to wait for my guard, or the whole Order's going to think I'm off to consort with the Noah!" His stomach rumbled unhappily as they waiting for the Inspector to catch up. "I bet they have all sorts of food, Jerry-san wasn't prepared to have me gone for 2 days!" Allen sighed as his stomach gave another ravenous rumble. "It was really two days? No wonder I'm starving..."

"Don't run off like that again Allen!" Link scolded, catching his breath, but Allen wasn't paying attention: he was already daydreaming about the mountains of food he was about to consume.

"First I'll eat all the noodles in the Order, sure to get Bakanda upset. Then some mitarashi! Jerry-san better have lots of foo-" He fell silent as they reached the dining hall, all eyes were on Allen. A few exorcists immediately turned their backs, some glared, only a few smiled at him warmly.

Lavi snorted with sarcasm. "Pfff sureeeee. Do I look like a Noah to you?" he laughed, wrapping his arm around Allen to give him any needed support. He huffed impatiently and glared over his shoulder at Link. "Keep up, keep up!" he pouted, trotting on ahead with Allen once more, beaming brightly as only Lavi could. "Oooo Yu-chan is sure to be steamed about that once he crawls out of the hole he's probably hiding in!" His eye lit up with amusement as he pictured the look on Kanda's face when he found out there wasn't going to be any soba for him. He could already feel the cold point of Mugen at his throat. "Ah well, he'll get over it-" He trailed off as he noticed Allen's troubled silence for the first time. He snorted impatiently, shooting glares right back at anyone who dared look at Allen with contempt.

"Welcome back, Allen!" Johnny called from a corner of the room, gesturing towards a table full of happy faces from the Science Division.

"Ahhh ignore them. They're just jealous because you kicked so much more akuma ass than they did," Lavi told the white-haired teen with a bright smile, giving Johnny a cheerful wave and leading Allen across the room to Jerry-san. "Go on then, eat every last crumb in the kitchen!" he encouraged him, shooing Allen forward to give himself an opportunity to whap a particularly rude finder on the head. The guy glared at him but stalked from the room like the cowardly jerk he was, leaving Lavi to trot up behind Allen and greet Jerry-san with a bright hello.

Allen gave Lavi a small smile, turning towards Jerry-san with a determined look on his face.

"How're you doing Allen?" Jerry smiled warmly at the young exorcist, "Been rather slow without you here!"

"I'm doing better." Allen smiled back, "Now, I'd like every noodle dish I can get my hands on, twenty orders of Mitarashi, five plates of pork, and two sides of rice!"

Jerry nodded, writing down the order on a pad of paper, "Anything else?" he said jokingly, although he wouldn't be surprised if Allen ordered another dozen plates.

"I'll get back to you," Allen laughed, relieved at how normal things seemed to be going. He could still feel a few menacing eyes on his back, but he'd grown used to the rumors and hostility.

Lavi smiled to himself as he listened to Allen rattle off the long list of food to Jerry-san. The kid could probably eat for hours if he wanted to. He chuckled softly and murmured a much simpler order to Jerry, tempura and soba, if only to tweak at Kanda's nerves. He followed Allen over to the Science Division, taking a seat next to the white-haired exorcist and resting his chin in his palm, just sitting back and listening absently to the different conversations going on between the people at the table. He chuckled softly as he overheard how Reever had shut Komui up in his office since morning so he could narrow down the mountains upon mountains of papers on his desk. It seemed there wasn't even room for his coffee mug to be set down anymore. He could picture Komui's teary face without even trying.

"So Allen, how's your arm healing up? Not too bad, I should hope-" He stopped mid-sentence as the malicious voice of Rouvelier cut into their conversation. The snake of a man was staring down at the Order from the elegant rail of a balcony overlooking the cafeteria from above.

"Attention all members of the Black Order. I have met with the High Generals and we come to the agreement that the person known as Allen Walker is hereby stripped of all rank-exorcist and otherwise-and is henceforth banished from the Black Order, for fraternization with the enemy and betrayal of the Order itself," Rouvelier announced with a sickening smile, referring to Allen's brief slips into the Fourteenth's personality.

Any exorcists in his company, are expected to bring him to my office immediately, or face the consequences."

The table went silent, all heads slowly turned to the white-haired exorcist stuffing his face with food. Link tapped the boy's shoulder tentatively, his face void of emotion.

Stuffing another dango into his mouth, Allen looked down at the table, a shocked expression on his face. _What? I can't be... _He swallowed his mouthful of mitarashi numbly, his heart beating in his ears like a mocking drum-roll at an execution. The sudden stream of questions in his head was almost maddening, and he covered his shock with a small smile, looking at his friends. "I-it..." He paused, clearing his throat. "It was bound to happen eventually... I'll be fine..."

Johnny choked out a small sob, clutching Allen's uninjured arm. "W-we won't let them take you!"

For a long moment, Lavi could do nothing but gape at Allen, taking in the shock on his face and feeling a pang of emotion in his chest. "A-Allen..." he managed to croak, swallowing past the lump in his throat and trying to remain indifferent despite his growing horror.. "This...this is nonsense. I'm sure there's a mistake," he said, sounding shaky and unsure of himself. It was a strange thing for the Bookman apprentice to feel the unfamiliar touch of uncertainty crawling through his head. It combined with this sudden news shook him up, and although his duty to old man panda was to stay uninvolved with any personal affairs of his frie-_comrades_, no, not even comrades-of these people, the heart he wasn't supposed to have was pained with the thought of Allen being banished from the Order. He would probably never see him again if this strange dream became reality. "We'll go have a word with the High Generals, there must be something they overlooked...you're no Noah, the attack wasn't your fault!" he blurted without even realizing what he was saying.

Gently pushing aside Johnny, Allen looked at his friend with a sad smile. "I don't want you guys to get in trouble... There isn't anything we can do." He walked towards Link and turned to look back over his shoulder sadly. "What else can they do to me anyway?" He gestured to his imprisoned hand "It can't be that bad..." Allen smiled reassuringly.

Link coughed uncomfortably. "We should head to the Inspector soon," he said, looking around the cafeteria anxiously as a horde of exorcists started to point and look towards the white haired teen.

"Yeah..." Allen nodded and stared at the ground, a hint of sadness on his face.

Lavi was tripping over his words like a fool, only to stop and close his mouth, resuming the role of an unbiased bystander. This was dangerous. He had to stop before he fell too far.

He cleared his throat and extended a hand to the white-haired teen. "It was nice fighting with you, Allen," he murmured with one of his classic Bookman-issued smiles. "Good luck out there...don't lose yourself to the Noah," he said in a quieter voice, not wanting to seem too cold to Allen; this could possibly be the last time he saw the little moyashi.

Allen ignored Lavi's outstretched hand, giving him a quick hug instead. "I'll do my best!" He smiled at his friends reassuringly as many of them let out a few sobs.

Link gently tapped his shoulder, leading the exorcist away from the table. A small tear ran down Allen's cheek, he quickly brushed it away before the Inspector would see.

_Is this going to be the last time I see them?_ Another tear worked its way down his cheek.

_I'll never hurt you_, he vowed, following Link out of the room. _As long as I remember you, I'll never turn on you. I won't let the Fourteenth win. _

He kept his head up as he walked down the hallway towards his banishment, his eyes blurring. Unfortunately, he didn't see the figure storming past him and knocked into his left side. Turning around to apologize, Allen saw the long black hair and merely smiled at the raven-haired exorcist instead. "Guess you'll have all the soba you want, Bakanda..." he said with a sad look in his eyes, contrasting his formal smile.

Kanda let out an annoyed snort at the impact, taking a step or two back and opening his mouth to snarl a typical "fuck off" comment only to stop dead with his mouth open as he saw the familiar white hair. He cleared his throat to collect himself and looked down over the straight bridge of his nose at Allen. "Che. Whatever," he muttered sourly, turning his face away and stepping past the teen. "Keep walking, you idiot," he grumbled over his shoulder, continuing on to the cafeteria for said soba.

Allen looked after Kanda with a surprised look on his face, smiling a bit before hurrying to catch up with Link, following him through several more passages and up a flight of stairs until they finally reached Komui's office. They both entered, Allen with more reluctance than Link, though he kept an even look on his face.

Rouvelier stood just to the side of Komui, looking sickeningly pleased with himself. "Well, well. Said your goodbyes already?" he said with a sneer on his face, wrinkling his upper lip with clear dislike for the white-haired teen as he stepped around Komui's desk to observe Allen at a closer range. "Make sure you're done...you won't get a chance after this." He looked down at Komui expectantly.

Komui sighed. His eyes were laden with despair and he looked quite sleep-deprived, with dark rings surrounding his eyes. He slowly raised his eyes from his desk, staring at Allen with a deep and piercing sorrow. He seemed frail as he heaved a sigh, his shoulders shaking with dried up tears, and his hand trembled as he placed a small vial on the desk before him. "Allen..." he murmured, his voice hoarse and rasping, having known Allen's fate for a full hour and suffered under orders not to let anyone know.

"My sincere apologies...I must ask you to drink this," he murmured, nudging the vial forward with a finger. "Your memories of the Order..." He trailed off and swallowed hard past the emotion gathered in his throat. "This will destroy any information that might turn the tides of this war in favor of the Earl. You will forget us...and everything to do with the Black Order."

Rouvelier narrowed his eyes, staring at the boy's shocked expression with a satisfied look. "I'm more than willing to force you," he smiled as the room silenced, watching the boy realize his fate.

Allen stared down at the floor, his vision blurring, head swirling with thoughts._ I-I can't even promise that I won't hurt them! I won't even know who they are!_ He looked at Komui with a pained expression._ I haven't even said goodbye to Lenalee._ The tears flowed, but he didn't stop them, he only managed to stare at Komui, realizing the wisdom of this act._ Is it better? To leave people I don't know? To start over?_ Maybe this was a blessing, an easier way to leave his friends behind.

Minutes from now, he wouldn't remember the goodbyes he couldn't say, he wouldn't remember their smiles, these tears. The most he could do was give the scientist peace, relieve the pain this brought him, if only a little.

Allen walked up to Komui, placing a hand on his shoulder "I forgive you..." he murmured as he took the vial out of Komui's shaking hand. He held it up as smiled, placing it on his lips. "Tell everyone I love them," he whispered.

Komui winced in heart-rending sorrow, but managed to put a hand over Allen's, giving him one last smile to send him off. "You be careful out there, Allen..." he murmured, feeling a stab of pain as the white-haired teen spoke. "I will," he promised him.

Allen smiled gratefully at Komui as he swallowed the liquid, collapsing on the floor with a sad smile on his face.

Komui had to look away in agony as he saw Allen lift the vial to his lips, but he still heard the heartbreaking thud as the banished exorcist collapsed. He bit his lip hard enough to taste blood, but managed to maintain a stoic face as Rouvelier inspected the young boy.

"Hmph. Good enough," Rouvelier snorted, nudging Allen's sealed arm with his boot. "We'll see him off then... Remove that. He won't know how to use it, much less activate it, anyway," he snapped, straightening up and giving his subordinate a sharp, all-business look. "This boy is to be tagged with a tracking device...one of our personal ones, not one of the Order," he murmured, glancing at Komui. "No telling what those Science Division fools might try and pull."

Link looked up at his superior with a grim face. "Acknowledged, sir." He went up to the boy and picked up the unconscious teen.

Rouvelier nodded his approval as Link quickly agreed and carried off the unconscious Allen Walker. He then turned to Komui with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Lee, I have another announcement to make to the Order. Thank you for your cooperation," he snapped, turning and leaving the room before the flustered man could reply. He made his way back out to the balcony where he'd spoken before, clearing his throat and immediately winning total silence from the members of the Black Order below.

"Attention, please. There has been a tragic turn of events, my friends. Allen Walker resisted and tried to make an escape. Rather...drastic...measures had to be taken to protect the Order. We had no choice but to put him out of commission before he attacked some of our own. Apologies to all who knew Walker. Have a good day," he added with a sneer, stepping back and heading back to his quarters, leaving the room silent and filled with disbelief and shock.

Lavi gaped up at the now-empty balcony where Rouvelier had stood mere moments ago. His single green eye was wide with shock from the Inspector's haunting words. Did he mean...?

"Allen..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, this chapter took a lot longer than it should have. Oops! Mine and Ink's excuse is that we had too much sugar to write something worthy for you all.**

**And thank you for the lovely reviews! Really, you're so kind. We don't really make a habit of replying to reviews though, so if you were one of the awesome three people who reviewed at this moment in time, here's a big thanks to you! We really appreciate your thoughts on our story~**

**Before I forget, this is us saying WE DON'T OWN D. GRAY-MAN. Silly us, the disclaimer is a chapter late. Teehee, don't tell anyone, or I'll have no choice but to eat you~**

**Anywho, we hope you enjoy the second chapter...what's to become of poor, sweet little Allen? Mwahaha~**

**Blue~**

Allen stretched, uncurling himself as he woke up. His bed seemed harder, colder, but it didn't make the thought of waking up less appealing. He rolled onto his side, letting his hand fall. Needless to say, it didn't hit the soft dry blanket, but rather fell into a puddle of water. "Huh?" The boy shot upright, opening his eyes in surprise. He found himself in a cold alleyway, looking out into the dreary streets of London.

_Rhode...she was_- His brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to remember what had brought him to this alley. _Was this the very alley their last fight had taken place? No, hadn't I fought them in the ark? Why can't I remember?_ He looked down at his arm, staring at the neat bandages. _What happened? Why are these-_

A clocked chimed the hour, it was near noon. The street began to fill as civilians left for lunch. Allen felt his stomach grumble in protest, reminding him that there were more important things to worry about that why he was here.

"Guess I'll have to earn some money..." he muttered to himself as he got up and ventured onto the street, scratching his head as he pondered the odd circumstances.

_A month later..._

Lavi flinched as a carriage flew past, narrowly missing him as he strode through the streets of London. He'd been sent on a solo mission to scout for any remaining akuma the exorcists might have missed in the fight about a month ago. _Twenty-nine days and six hours ago_, his Bookman half reminded him. His exorcist half didn't seem to care. He was a wreck, and was sure he looked it too. Just this morning he'd been hassled by panda jiji for being so distracted by Allen's death. He remembered muttering some sort of half-hearted excuse, something about not getting enough sleep. The old man had left him alone after that...but he could still see the suspicion in Bookman's eyes.

_Damn it._

Lavi rolled a shoulder, hearing a few pops and sighing heavily, scrubbing a hand over his face. His one jade green eye was bloodshot and his skin held a sickly shade of grey to it. Komui had seen it fit to send him on a solo mission, in hopes that it might help him get his mind off of Allen's fate. The man had been hit hard by Rouvelier's actions, but he was still himself: he hadn't dared to pair Lenalee with the Bookman apprentice for fear of her poor, innocent heart being tainted. And Kanda had refused to go, claiming it was a waste of time.

Lavi sighed once more, hanging his head as he walked and kicking at the gravel with his boot, sending it skittering along the sidewalk.

A small crowd assembled on a corner, watching in awe as a young performer easily juggled an assortment of items. With a bow, the juggler caught the items in his left hand, and distributed them to their owners in the crowd. He smiled to each person as he passed, collecting money in a small box. His top hat slid down over his eyes as he walked, covering his face, and all but a lock of his white hair.

"Thank you very much!" Allen called out as the crowd cheered, stepping back to gather his things. Waving politely as the crowd began to disperse. _It's been a rather successful day, _he thought to himself as he stuffed a yellow ball into his bag.

Lavi glanced up aimlessly as he heard the soft sounds of cheering, fixing his eye on the small crowd of people gathered on the corner ahead. He watched for a short moment before heading around them with a sigh, only to run into the performer. "Oh...sorry," he muttered, arching a brow as he caught the flash of white hair. "Huh...pretty nifty tricks for an old man," he said nonchalantly, eying him as if doubting that someone of that age could juggle so effortlessly. "You must be in good shape for your age."

Almost tripping over at the impact, Allen quickly pushed his hat down over his hair. O-old man? His face turned a deep shade of red as he straightened himself up and glared at the assailant. "I'm not an old man," Allen said softly, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He quickly picked up the money box that Lavi had sent flying, looking for any change that may have escaped. _I'm obviously not that old, it's just the white hair_. He managed to give the red haired teen a small smile as he collected the coins. "Don't worry, it's a mistake anyone could make."

Lavi blinked at his mistake, hesitating before leaning down to help him with the collection of the coins. He offered him one with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, kiddo, I just-" he trailed off with his mouth hanging open as he stared into Allen's eyes. "I...I-I..." he gaped at the white-haired teen, speechless with disbelief. "Wait. W-wait, wait, wait. No. It can't be. Allen...?" he choked out in a flustered stammer, his eye wide with shock as he knelt there, his hand still extended with the glimmering silver coin between his fingers.

Allen stared back at Lavi, a confused look on his face. He took the coin tentatively, placing it into the box. Putting on a smile, Allen hauled the boy up. "Have we met?" he asked as he returned to collecting his props. "I'm Allen Walker," he said with a small flourish of his hand, "although you seem to know that."

Lavi tripped and stumbled over his words as Allen helped him to his feet. "W-well...Allen, I-" He stopped mid-sentence once again, gawking at Allen as if he were insane. A foreboding sense of dread gathered in the heart he wasn't supposed to have. "A-Allen...we're friends...remember?" he ventured tentatively, staring down at Allen's extended hand and slowly lifting his gaze back up to the teen's face. "I'm Lavi...you must know this..." He let out an uneasy chuckle.

Allen looked at Lavi questioningly, taking a small step backwards. He tried to remember, but there wasn't a sign of this teen anywhere, although the name sounded familiar. He searched through the gaps and broken memories, but the pieces didn't seem to fit. He placed his hand on his head, taking a deep breath. "No... No, I don't..."

Lavi could only stare in complete and utter confusion, feeling a sharp pain in his chest as Allen spoke. "O-oh...I see," he murmured, clearing his throat and biting back the piercing sorrow in his heart. What better way to remind himself of his Bookman status anyway? "S-so, ummm...I...I see you're faring well," he said hesitantly, giving a vague motion toward Allen's performance props. "Still just as skillful as ever..."

Allen chuckled softly, still slightly uneasy. "Yeah, I guess so," he said sheepishly. "It was hard to get anything at first, but some people come to watch regularly now... and I get a decent amount of money..." He began to absentmindedly juggle a couple of props, unsure what else to say. "So, what are you doing around town... Lavi." He said the name awkwardly, the name felt weird on his tongue.

Lavi nodded, looking rather discouraged by Allen's show of memory loss. "I'm glad..." he murmured quietly, looking over Allen's face and noticing how carefree he seemed to be. Maybe it was the right thing to just leave him be... There was certainly no stress or drama involved with being a street performer. "Oh...I was just...wasting time," he lied. This was Allen's chance to have a normal life, and he didn't want to dredge up bad memories. "I should be going now...things to do..." he mumbled, his heart heavy in his chest as he gave up on the ex-exorcist."I...hope you manage all right on your own," he offered weakly.

Allen nodded, giving him another smile "Good Luck! I'll do fine, I've been doing this as long as I can remember!" A devilish grin appeared on his face "and if I don't earn money I'll just challenge someone at poker..."

Lavi couldn't help but crack a weak smile at Allen's words. "True...you always were a master at cheating," he chuckled with a distant look in his eye, remembering the first mission he'd ever went on with Allen. "Well...I'll let you get back to stealing the clothes off peoples' backs, moyashi," he murmured, jerking a hand in a wave and stepping past him before he could change his mind, heading off down the streets of London in the general direction of headquarters.

Allen laughed, but he couldn't help wondering how much this 'Lavi' knew about him. The shady memories that his appearance brought up only confused him more. _I know he was someone important. How could I forget? What happened to me?_ Allen thought back to that day about a month ago, when he had woken up on the street with nothing but his clothes. _Why can't I remember? _He looked back at the exorcist, watching him turn away. He gave a little wave back, although the teen wasn't watching. "Moyashi?" He grumbled unhappily.

He watched as Lavi walked off, gathering up the props and putting them in his bag. He slung it over his shoulder, walking in the opposite direction of the exorcist, he would earn more money elsewhere. Turning down the lane, he paused, feeling his eye beginning to activate. He looked around as the world turned to black and white, finding the akuma in the crowd.

"My lovely, lovely akuma, go wreak some havoc," Rhode cooed, kicking her a feet a bit as she sat on the edge of a rooftop. She smiled like the innocent young girl she seemed to be, though the ashen shade of her skin and the stigmata on her forehead said otherwise. "Bring Allen Walker to meee," she giggled. She tilted her head back to look at Tyki behind her. "Oi, I heard Allen-chan was kicked out of the Order..." she said innocently. "Maybe...can I keep him?"

Tyki chuckled softly at his niece. "You can play with him all you like, just let me kill him afterwards."

Down in the street, the three akuma straightened up in the crowd, murmuring a robotic "Yes, Master Noah," and suddenly shed their human disguises with a horrid, metallic screeching. They turned instantly on whomever was unluckiest to be nearby, slicing them to bits with sharp claws and teeth before zeroing in on Allen. The level twos came together and lunged at him simultaneously, shrieking like the maddened creatures of hell they were.

Allen's arm reacted to the akuma, turning into a large claw. He quickly attacked one of the demons as he dodged another, pushing an innocent bystander out of the way. "Everyone get out of here!" he shouted, shielding a young girl from a blow.

Further down the street, Lavi was wincing and covering his ears at the sound of the akuma's screams, but he forced himself to block out the sound. "Allen!" he called, weaving in-between the fleeing hoards of people running away from the attacking akuma. He growled in frustration, unable to activate his innocence without harming the people who were jostling him about. "Allen!" he cried again, finally pulling his innocence out and activating it. "Extend!" he yelled, the hammer obeying without question and propelling him skyward. He looked about frantically, trying to spot Allen's white hair in the pulsing crowd.

On the rooftop above, Tyki finally stepped away from the shingles into the air, using his powers to float down towards the white-haired teen and smiling as he struggled against the team of akuma. "Having trouble fighting alone, boy?" he teased, standing in the air above Allen.

Allen looked up for a brief moment, scowling at the Noah's presence. "What's that supposed to mean?" He had a brief idea that Tyki was referring to a fight in the past, maybe he hadn't always fought the Noah alone, the gaps in his memories seemed to be haunting him today. At least he remembered the Noah, although bits of information on them was shady. An akuma cut into his right arm as he contemplated Tyki's words. He gasped in pain, readying himself for another blow.

"ALLEN!" The akuma that had sliced Allen exploded with a screech as Lavi brought his hammer down on its head. He caught his breath with a huff, straightening up and brandishing his hammer threateningly at one of the two remaining akuma, pressing his back against Allen's so they couldn't be caught off-guard. "You okay, moyashi? Not too deep, I hope," he murmured, glancing down at Allen's arm and catching a glimpse of red through the teen's sleeve, but he had to look away to fend off a sudden attack from the level two. He shouted in frustration and swung his hammer at the demon, making it back off to avoid the blow.

Lavi looked back at Allen to check on his condition, only to frown in confusion as he noticed the claws of his blackened left arm. "Wait... Your innocence! I didn't think you would be able to-" He was cut off by a screech from the akuma, wincing from the high-pitched sound in his sensitive ears.

Allen clutched his arm, wincing as he staggered backwards. "I'll deal with it," Allen replied with a small smile. "You take that one, and I'll get this?" He gestured to the akuma, brandishing his claw with another grin. He attacked his akuma, looking at it in sympathy as its soul pleaded to be free. The boy glanced over at Lavi as he brought his hammer down onto the other akuma. _That's an interesting weapon...and the akuma are affected by it._

"Innocence?" he wondered aloud as he attacked the akuma again, turning his attention the other Noah.

"Well, well, well, look who it is! My little Bookman friend," Rhode purred, floating down leisurely atop Lero, who was spouting an endless amount of complaints-all of which went ignored. "Come to help my Allen-kun?" she giggled, blowing Allen a kiss and ignoring Lavi's growl of hatred toward her. "It's been so long, Allen-kun! I was beginning to think you might...forget about me," she murmured with a sad frown on her face, descending closer and reaching out tentatively to touch his cheek. "Oh...you must be so confused," she murmured with a false sympathy, having heard Allen's and Lavi's earlier conversation. "You don't have any idea who this man is, do you? You don't know the truth about the Bookman apprentice..." she whispered to the white-haired teen, her eyes laden with what seemed to be pity for Allen. "You don't remember what he did to you...?"

_Bookman...that title sounds so familiar,_ Allen thought as he wracked his brain for more clues about this red-headed teen. "Hello, Rhode..." Allen muttered, turning a deep shade of red as she blew him a kiss. He finished off the akuma with another swipe of his clawed hand. Taking another deep breath, he stood up straight and looked at the Noah questioningly, glancing towards Lavi with a confused look on his face. "What he...did to me?" He cast a suspicious look at the Noah.

Lavi frowned as he heard Rhode speak, turning to glance back over his shoulder at her before turning to face her completely, seeing as the akuma were destroyed. He bit his lip with a visible wince as he realized what Rhode spoke of. "Don't listen to her, Allen, she's a Noah," he murmured to the teen, gripping his hammer firmly and staring at Rhode with a mixture of hate and desperation, pleading to whatever god would listen that she wouldn't mess with Allen's mind when it was so vulnerable to change.

Rhode merely smiled sadly at Allen, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms over her skinny chest. "Oh, Allen...you really don't remember, do you?" she murmured with a frown. "Then...let me show you," she whispered menacingly, reaching out once more to touch Allen's cheek before he could stop her, almost instantly enveloping him in the darkness of her separate dimension. Everything was black for a long moment before it cleared away like fog, revealing the scene of Allen and Lavi in the ark, though Lenalee and Chaoji weren't shown. It wasn't necessary to risk reminding Allen of his friends at the Order, no, this was just for him and Bookman Junior.

Lavi's eye snapped open as his heart was dampened by his 48th alias, the strange black marking clawing its way across his face. His face was soulless as he stood and faced Allen, suddenly lunging forward to punch him mercilessly in the gut, sending him sprawling across the icy cold floor. "Allen...Walker..." he whispered eerily, Rhode's version of the memory becoming distorted and making things seem even darker than they had been. "Allen..." he whispered once more, stepping closer and kicking him in the ribs with a booted foot.

"La-Lavi?" the Allen in his memory questioned, looking at the Bookman with an expression of shock and fear. His arm turned into a broad sword as he placed it between himself and Lavi, blocking another attack.

"Lavi?" he asked again, his voice weak as he fended off another attack. The Bookman just looked at Allen, devoid of emotion, and he picked up Allen by his collar.

"I am not your comrade," Lavi spoke, throwing Allen against the wall, the memory beginning to dissolve into blackness.

Coming to, Allen faced his enemy in confusion, casting a nervous glance towards Lavi. "You... attacked me?" He looked at the bookman suspiciously, having just seen a completely different side of this teen.

Rhode smiled eerily in triumph, seeing the look of distrust in Allen's eyes and easing back to watch the drama play out. Perfect. She cast Tyki a cheery glance, knowing they could take advantage of Allen's vulnerable and empty mind, and fill it with new things, tossing out the old.

Lavi's mouth dropped open as he tried to think of a logical way to explain everything. "I...I-I was...I mean, I...Allen, I didn't..." He trailed off in a defeated silence, dropping his eyes to the ground as a heavy guilt lay upon his shoulders, weighing him down and thrusting shame straight into his face. It really had been his fault anyway. Who was he to deny it? "I...I'm sorry, Allen, I...I-I didn't mean to hurt you, really..." he protested weakly, raising his eye to Allen's face in desperation. "I would never hurt you, you're my best friend..." he tried, feeling a stab of shame in his heart from the word "friend." Bookman would have his other eye if he knew what Lavi was saying.

Tyki gave Rhode a small nod, reclining next to her as the Bookman's apprentice spoke. He watched as the boy tried eyed him distrustfully, but he knew the battle wasn't won yet. Allen still remembered Rhode's power, surely he couldn't be fooled as easily as this.

Allen took a step back, watching as Lavi desperately tried to convince him. "All I know is what Rhode showed me, I can-I can't trust any of my memories!" He fell to his knees clutching his head as he went through this new memory he had attained. Bits of it were shady, but most was crystal clear, most of it seemed un-tampered with. He knew what he should believe, but parts of him wanted to trust this red-head. He might not remember this 'Bookman' but he knew enough about people to see that this guy was sincerely sorry. It might be a trick, but then, why would the Noah be helping him? Allen looked at Rhode and Lavi, bracing himself, his claw ready, but without any will to attack either.

Lavi winced as he watched Allen fall to his knees, slowly kneeling next to him and extending a hand to touch his shoulder, only to flinch and pull back as he noticed Allen readying his innocence. "Allen..." he murmured quietly, glancing at the ground and seeming to crumble into himself, looking pale and discouraged.

Rhode smiled, hopping down off of Lero and skipping over Allen, crouching in front of him and reaching out to touch his hand gently. "Allen-kun...you can't trust him," she whispered with a sad frown. "Bookmen don't have hearts...everything they say and do is a lie," she breathed, sympathy written plain on her face as she slowly opened her arms and leaned forward to draw him into a soothing hug. "But Allen, don't worry...you don't need that liar," she murmured, glaring at Lavi over Allen's shoulder. "I love you, Allen-kun," she whispered with a gentle smile, pulling back to look into Allen's eyes expectantly, looking hopeful that he would see the light.

Allen turned away from Rhode, the distrust plain to see in his eyes. She had killed too many people for him to trust her, made to many akuma, heartlessly ripped apart lives. Yet, she didn't have a reason to lie. Allen stared at Lavi for a brief moment before doubling over in pain. He fell to the ground, clutching his head and letting out a small scream.

Rhode frowned as if hurt by Allen's distrust, reaching out to touch him again but pulling back in surprise as the teen started to scream. "Allen-kun...?" she murmured, touching his back worriedly and casting a glance over at Tyki, wondering if he had any guesses as to what was happening to her dear Allen.

Lavi flinched as he heard Allen scream, inching closer and setting a hand on his shoulder with a deep frown. "Allen! Allen, are you okay?" he asked, his single green eye wide with anxiety as he watched his friend double over in pain.

Allen writhed in pain for a few minutes before it subsided, feeling a trickle of blood running down his cheek. "L-Lavi?" He looked at the exorcist pleadingly as he took his hand off his forehead, revealing a cross that looked as if it had been cut into his forehead. He collapsed in pain again, as another cross appeared.

Tyki looked down at the white haired boy with a mix of shock and sympathy, "He's... The stigmata...The boy is turning into a Noah." He stared at Rhode in amazement as he watched their troublesome enemy turn into a family member.

Lavi's breath caught in his throat as Allen revealed the bloody cross, his eye going wide with horror. "A-Allen..." he whispered brokenly, his voice cracking as he spoke the name. "No...no, no, you promised me you wouldn't lose to him!" he shouted, gripping his friend's shoulder tightly though he tried to ease his grip, realizing the agony the teen was suffering. "Allen!" he repeated, crouching at his friend's side and tasting blood as he bit into his lip. "Come on, Allen...you can't lose to the Noah, not after everything we've been through together," he whispered, his heart thudding heavily in his chest as he stared helplessly down at the white-haired teen. "Fight him! You're too strong to give up like this!" he tried desperately.

Allen clutched his forehead again, going limp as Lavi gripped his shoulder. He breathed heavily, every breath was difficult. He looked back at Lavi, a confused look on his face "I-I remember... Rhode... that wasn't you..." He choked out as the rest of the memory slowly came back, wincing as a final scar appeared on his face. Then everything went black, and he found himself suspended in darkness.

_"Hello Nephew, how nice to meet you, although I'm sorry that it is under these circumstances." _The voice seemed to come from inside his head rather than his surroundings.

"Who are you?" Allen questioned.

_"I'm Neah Walker, the fourteenth disciple, the Noah Of Destruction,"_ the voice replied with a hint of sympathy. _"Your body is turning into a Noah, I regret to tell you that I shall be taking over."_

_So this is it, this is when I disappear completely, _Allen thought bitterly, as he listened to this all powerful voice. "You can't just- I need-" he said defiantly, trying to eradicate himself of this presence, only to feel the Noah's hold of his body growing stronger.

_"Don't worry, Nephew, I can only take hold of your body for a few moments, and right now a few moments is all I need."_ Neah answered, almost sounding concerned, as he took full control.

Allen's eyes snapped open, but they shone gold in the light. His skin had turned an ashen color, and a grin spread across his face. "Hello, Bookman, how nice to meet you in person." Neah spoke with Allen's voice in an almost mocking tone.

Lavi froze as he saw the distinctive flash of gold in Allen's eyes, dropping his hand from his friend's shoulder and gaping at the sight of ashen skin crawling over the teen's body. "A...A-Allen...?" he whispered, staring at the Noah who had taken over his friend, permanently, he guessed. "No...no! Give him back, you monster!" he demanded in a sharp growl, jerking back from Neah in horror and gripping his hammer defensively, hesitating for fear of hurting Allen.

Laughing softly, the new Noah swiftly got up, not moving to attack the exorcist. "Don't worry, I don't have long... I'm still very weak." He tilted his head at Lavi, as if to invite an attack. "You'll get him back soon, but you wouldn't dare to hurt me in the meantime... would you. You see, any attack to this unstable Noah will hurt Allen when he comes to."

Lavi growled and brandished his hammer as he heard Neah's mocking words, only to freeze at the concealed threat and lowering his weapon. "You sicken me..." he spat, reluctantly deactivating his innocence and shoving it back into its holster, glaring at the Noah in his friend's body and cursing at him colorfully, his hatred for the Noah burning brightly in his single jade eye.

"Just clearing some things up, I don't want you to hurt my precious nephew, and I'm sure you don't want to either" He frowned, looking truly sorry. "Although, I regret to tell you that I don't feel the same way about hurting you." He brandished Allen's arm, pointing it towards Lavi. "I'm sorry, Bookman, but I can't allow you to live, you will only complicate things in the future."

Lavi tensed with a growing sense of dread as Neah spoke, his eye widening as he watched the Noah manipulate Allen's body and use his innocence in such a way. "You...monster," he hissed, looking between the three Noah with growing fear on his face, knowing he couldn't possibly fight all of them alone. He backed away slowly, whipping his burning gaze back onto Neah in hatred. "Damn Noah," he growled, kicking dirt in his face and bolting down the street, trying to remember the quickest route back to headquarters in his frenzied sprint.

Brushing the dirt off of his cheek, Neah chuckled softly. He followed Lavi with ease, the transformation into a Noah had increased his speed, if only a little. He clawed at Lavi's legs, causing the exorcist to fall to the ground.

Lavi cried out as he tumbled, wincing in pain as his ankle was twisted at a strange angle when he fell. He ignored it, it was merely a sprain, and rolled over onto his back. He stared up at Neah, wide-eyed in horror, and closed his eye tightly as Neah stepped closer, preparing himself for the final blow.

Grinning in triumph, Neah approached the Bookman, placing his right hand on Lavi's neck and gripping tightly, forcing the excorcist to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry to do-" but he froze, his brows furrowed in concentration. "Looks like-LAVI, RUN!" The coldness in Allen's voice left, and his skin returned to it's normal color as Allen collapsed to the ground.

Lavi's eye snapped open again as he heard Allen's cry. He gasped for a full breath as Neah's hand fell away from his neck, and he staggered upright, trying not to put pressure on his injured ankle.

"Allen...?" he murmured, limping over and reaching out to touch his friend's shoulder, only to jerk back as he saw Rhode and Tyki rounding the corner and coming after them. He stared down at Allen with desperation in his eye, torn between staying and leaving his friend for the Noah. "I...Allen, I can't..." he whispered, shifting his weight onto his right leg to ease the pain in his left. "I can't just leave you with them..."

"I'm already one of them," Allen replied with tears in his eyes, "Lavi, I still don't remember you, all I know is that you've been by my side, and you almost died for-because of me. I don't know when Neah will take over me again, and when he does I'll kill you. Just go." Allen staggered to his feet and pushed the exorcist away as he turned to face the Noah. He took a shaky step towards his enemy, distancing himself from Lavi.

Tyki stared at the boy in wonder, extending an arm to him. "Leave now, while we are tending the boy," he called out to Lavi, "We won't be so merciful next time."

Lavi could only stare helplessly as his friend pushed him away. He reached out desperately towards his friend, his arm trembling with shock. He'd come across Allen, alive, after nearly a month, only to find him lost, without any memory of him or the Order. And now he was turning into a Noah before his eyes and he couldn't do anything to help him.

"A-Allen..." he whispered desperately, trailing off into silence as the teen moved toward Tyki. "I...I'll come get you, I promise," he said shakily, swallowing hard past his emotions and trying to plant seeds of hope in Allen's heart. "I'll come with everyone else...and we'll take you back home, Allen," he promised firmly, narrowing his eye at Tyki and leaving the threat to dangle in the air, reluctantly beginning to limp off in the general direction of headquarters.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note~

Ahhh it's been almost two months! Shame on us! The only appropriate excuses we have are that the holidays chewed us up and spat us back out again, and then when we finished the chapter for the first time, we realized it was really HORRIBLY cheesy. You guys deserve more than that abomination, so we deleted all of it except the first two paragraphs. It hurt us a lot. But we got through it, and here's the finished product! We realize it's rather short, but the next update is coming up pretty fast! It was really hard for us to stay in character with Lenalee and Kanda, but now that Allen's coming back around, things are going pretty smoothly. The fourth chapter should be up soon, sooooo, as usual, read and review, and thank you for being so patient with us!

~Ink and Blue

It had taken Lavi quite an embarrassing amount of time to get back to headquarters; it turned out his ankle was worse than he thought. It wasn't quite broken, but the sprain was extremely painful, and he favored his right leg heavily, taking most of his weight off the left. He pressed a hand against the large door that was the main entrance to the Black Order, which swung open instantly and nearly sent him sprawling across the floor. He staggered, catching himself on the wall and ignoring the dull aching of his swollen ankle. He was spotted quickly by a pair of finders walking by, who came over to assist him. He pushed them away stubbornly, telling them to run off and fetch Lenalee and Kanda.

He eventually made it to Komui's office, limping through the open door and finding relief in one of the plush chairs inside the room. Shock and disbelief had him shaking where he sat, and his skin was pale from the fright of seeing Allen turn into a Noah right in front of him. "A...A-Allen is..." he croaked, the name slipping from his lips between breathless gasps.

"Lavi!" Lenalee cried, bursting into the room with a flustered look on her face. She was dragging Kanda along behind her, the raven-haired exorcist protesting irritably the entire time.

"Lavi, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice hitching with worry as she released Kanda's wrist and ran over to the young Bookman. When Lavi didn't respond, she looked up to her brother with big dark eyes. "Komui! Call in Matron-"

"Don't."

Lenalee quieted and leaned in closer to peek past the messy red strands of Lavi's hair. "What's...wrong?"

Lavi stared at his friend in silence, then he lifted his green gaze to look past her at her brother. Komui sat at his desk, surprisingly quiet as he kept his eyes lowered to the papers strewn across the surface.

"Komui."

The dark-haired man slowly dragged his eyes up to meet Lavi's stare. A pained look was on his face, as if he anticipated Lavi's words but didn't want to hear them.

"Why...didn't you tell us?"

Komui breathed in deeply, maintaining eye contact with Lavi as he shakily began. "I was under strict orders to keep that mission confidential." He glanced towards Lenalee uncertainly, hoping that she would somehow forgive him. "I couldn't tell you anything, and I'm going to have to ask you to keep this meeting and everything we say a secret," he said wearily.

Lenalee looked like she wanted to scream out of frustration-she had no clue what was going on. "Brother! What's going on? Why won't you-"

"A secret? Like how you kept Allen a secret from us?" Lavi said bluntly, swallowing back any further venomous words and merely giving a defeated nod of agreement. "Komui. Why couldn't you tell us?" he asked again. "Why did you let us go on believing Allen was dead?" His single eye stared at Komui with a churning of desperation and sadness in its jade depths.

"Allen-" Lenalee cut herself off and gaped at Lavi.

"The Moyashi is still alive?" Kanda asked from the doorway, turning his pitch-colored eyes on Komui questioningly.

Komui looked away from the three exorcists, absentmindedly staring at a piece of paper, hiding the tear slowly winding its way down his face. "Yes," he replied softly, "Allen Walker is still alive, and under the surveillance of the Black Order."

Lenalee walked towards her brother, her hand quivering as she placed it upon his shoulder. "Nii-san?"

"He is currently living in the streets of London, with no memory of the Black Order, innocence, or akuma. While we wait for the Noah to make their move." The tears trickled down Komui's face as he spoke.

For the longest time, Lavi could do nothing but stare mindlessly at Komui. Yes, he'd been expecting the confirmation of Allen's condition, but the words still stung. They stung the heart he wasn't supposed to have.

"So he's basically the Order's dog?" Kanda asked gruffly. "He's spying but he doesn't know it?"

Lenalee couldn't hold in a frightened gasp. "He'll be killed! Brother, we can't just leave him like that-"

"He lapsed again today," Lavi mumbled quietly, dropping his eyes and slouching in the chair. "The Fourteenth took over."

The room was dropped into an unexpected silence. Lavi didn't move for such a long time, he appeared to be nothing more than a doll. Then he slowly lifted a dead green eye to stare at Komui blankly. "We're losing him."

Lenalee burst into tears, clutching her brother's shoulder as he embraced her. Komui held her tight, placing his chin on her head as he held back his own tears.

"What caused the relapse?" Komui replied, almost apathetic, as they all slowly took in the information.

"Rhode and Tyki showed up just after I found Allen," Lavi murmured after considering Kanda's question. "Rhode...she tried to turn him against me by showing him the memory of when I attacked him in the Ark," he mumbled, his voice trailing away as guilt ate away at his heart. "I think it was the stress that allowed the Fourteenth an opening to take over."

Kanda grew quiet, a frown creasing his pale face. "Walker. Is he...gone?" he muttered, eying Lavi with curious dark eyes.

"No, he...he fought off the Fourteenth," Lavi murmured, frowning a bit at the memory. He heard Allen screaming the warning again in his head.

Lavi, run!

"I..." Lavi trailed off into silence, a frown on his face as he sank deep into thought.

Lenalee sniffled a bit as she slowly uncurled herself from her brother's embrace to kneel before the red-haired exorcist. She reached out carefully to touch his shoulder, her hand shaking. "Lavi...?"

Suddenly the young Bookman rose to his feet, nearly knocking Lenalee over but not seeming to notice at all. He paced quickly toward the door, muttering to himself the whole way. Kanda snarled as the redhead bumped against his shoulder on the way out. The swordsman opened his mouth to utter an insult but was quickly silenced by a rushed apology as Lavi disappeared into the hallway, walking quickly despite his heavy limp.

"Lavi..." Komui murmured, a deep frown lining his face.

Lenalee steadied herself, and raced out the door after the exorcist, quickly catching up to the limping teen. "Lavi..." She trailed off, unsure what to say.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kanda said from behind her, his eyes narrowed with irritation.

Lavi was muttering to himself under his breath, appearing as if he hadn't heard Lenalee speak at all. When he reached the end of the hall, he nearly staggered as he shoved the door to his and Bookman's room open. He sunk immediately into a chair and snatched up an old, leathery journal, snapping it open and writing at a furious pace. "He warned me..." he muttered, recording the entire encounter with Allen to every last detail.

Lenalee leaned against the doorway, and watched the Bookman write. She didn't feel like she should interrupt, but she wanted to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Kanda stood awkwardly beside her, his brow furrowed in concentration. The two exorcists waited until Lavi finally set down his pen.

"L-Lavi?" Lenalee murmured tentatively after a few seconds, crossing over to his chair.

Lavi jumped a bit when Lenalee murmured his name, twitching his hand down to instinctively grab at his hammer. "Lenalee!" He cursed under his breath as he turned to face the two exorcists. "Sorry, you spooked me a bit," he chuckled sheepishly, taking his hand away from his innocence to rub at the back of his neck. "I'm assuming you want to know more about Allen?" he murmured, easing back in his chair and giving his throbbing ankle a rest.

Kanda walked over to the Bookman's bed and sat down, giving a little nod as he leaned forward.

Lenalee gave Lavi another worried look before taking a seat next to Kanda. "What happened to Allen after the fourteenth took over?"

Lavi frowned deeply at Lenalee's question. "Well, he...tried to kill me," he admitted, chewing on his lower lip as if it were no big deal. "But...it's obvious he didn't!" he said cheerfully, tapping his fingers on the leathery cover of his journal. "He, ah...he warned me," he murmured, a frown creasing his face. "He didn't know who I was, but..."

"Then he's not a Noah yet," Kanda said gruffly, giving a little shrug of dismissal.

"No, but...Tyki and Rhode took him." Lavi heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. "I have no idea what they could be doing to him."

"He doesn't remember us... at all?"

Lavi looked over at Lenalee with a sorrowful look on his face. "No...I'm not sure what we can do for him about that," he murmured quietly. It hurt to say the words aloud, but it was the truth.

Lenalee tried to mask her emotions, but everything she had learned today was too much. "We need to save him from the Noah..."

"And just how do you propose we do that?" Kanda asked, arching a brow at the dark-haired girl. "We don't even know how to find Walker, much less save him."

Lavi grew silent as he sunk deep into thought. How the hell can we go and look for Allen without being tailed by the Order? Suddenly a smile lit upon his face. "Lenalee, Yu-chan, when are your next missions?"

"I-I think, Komui was telling me about a mission tomorrow..." Lenalee looked confusedly at her friend.

Kanda raised a brow questioningly at Lavi but relented nonetheless, "I've been assigned to a solo mission up North," he murmured. "I'm supposed to leave in a couple days."

Lavi grinned. "Perfect. But I might be stuck here for a few days..." he murmured with a frown. "But maybe I can get Bookman to give me a little help with those needles of his." He rose to his feet with a bit of an unsteady wavering and limped over to the far side of the room. He searched the shelves there for a moment before giving a soft "aha!" and pulling out a large scroll. He unrolled it and laid it out on the desk. It was a map of the surrounding countries. "Where are you being sent?"

"Just south of London... I think," Lenalee murmured, pointing to an area on the map. "Over... here."

Kanda moved closer to look over the map. "I'm heading up here..." he murmured, tapping the southern end of Norway.

Lavi eyed the two locations. "Hmm...alright then. Right here," he announced, pointing to a new spot on the map. "Right here, two weeks from now." He glanced up and gave the two exorcists a determined grin.


	4. Author's Note

First off, Ink and I would like to apologize in the most sincerest of ways that this update isn't an update at all. Secondly, our biggest apologies go out to all of the amazing people out there who are actually reading this fic-especially to those who have given us such kind and encouraging reviews. We really are terribly sorry!

As awful of an excuse this is, school bogged us both down, and for a long time Ink didn't have access to a computer at all, effectively putting our efforts to write new chapters to an end. We both feel awful that we've made you all wait so long for anything from us, especially after we said that a new chapter was coming along quickly. Our motivation died as well, and we stopped partly because we were unsure of how to continue the fic, since we'd hit a crossroads of a sort.

But now we bring good news! Ink and I plan to rewrite the fic, making it longer, more appealing, and all around much better than it is. No worries, we are leaving up the old chapters until we update them, so if you are piteous enough to still read those abominations, feel free! Ink and I also have a few oneshots in mind that we plan to write, so you can expect work from us besides FB chapters as well. Since summer has arrived, we should be able to write much more-although Ink is going to camp in a few days for a week, but that shouldn't prove to be too much of an issue. Once again, we apologize profusely for disappearing off the face of the planet, and we will be quick to get to writing soon! Thank you all so much for reading our fic in the first place. We hope to return your kindness with updates!

Until next time then, Blue~


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